Faded Roses
by Filly Ingles
Summary: Life for the team in Mexico... Writing in chapters titled by different rose colours and told in first person by each member of the crew!
1. Thorns

Thorns  
  
"Letty you have to go to the doctor." Leon declared as he paced back and forth impatiently. "You don't understand! You could be hurt! Broken bones... hurt..." Leon declared as he continued to pace the motel room agitatedly.  
  
"No you don't understand!" Letty said and winced as she moved her arm. One movement cause her whole body to throb painfully. She understood broken bones. She was sure at least two of her ribs were cracked. "If we go to the hospital they are gonna ask questions! Questions we can't answer!" Letty said just wanting Dom there... he'd know what to do... and she'd do it... whatever he told her too... she didn't want to think past that.  
  
"So we'll lie!" Leon said in exasperation. "Look we'll tell them you have an abusive boyfriend, and I'm your brother, say we had to skip the states to get away from him!" Leon declared off the top of his head.  
  
"I'm not saying that!" Letty said quickly, her entire face darkening at even the mention of that. "He didn't do this to me Leon! The car rolled." Letty said defensively.  
  
Leon's face lightened with realization, when her's darkened. He shook his head quickly, "I never said Dom did it Let. I was lieing. You know, so you'll go to the doctor?" Leon reminded her.  
  
Before Letty could reply Leon's cell rang. They both jumped. Leon fumbled to open the phone while Letty grimaced but refused to cry out against her aching ribs.  
  
"'Lo?" Leon said catiously.  
  
"Leon? Where are you?" Mia said from the other end.  
  
"Mia?" Letty's head shot up and she winced. "We're at the motel across from the 'Welcome to Baja' sign. El Pancho's, room 3." Leon shared.  
  
There was a hushed conversation on the other end of the phone before Mia said, "we'll be there in about 40 minutes." Then there was a click, as she hung up. 


	2. Blue

Blue  
  
"Leon!!" I heard Letty call holding her ribs painfully. She looked down at me, sprawled out on the floor, where Leon's punch had sent me. It hadn't really been that hard, but then again I hadn't even tried to block it.  
  
She was looking at me, her dark eye's painiced with concern. I could only imagine it was for Leon.  
  
"Dom do something!" she begged me.  
  
Usually that would have been all it took for me to jump up and pull Leon from the car that was squealling out of the parking lot.  
  
Instead I lay on the ground, watching as pain flashed in and out of her eyes, between her constant concern. I knew the only reason she didn't chase him down herself was because moving hurt. Even now, when she stood stock still, I could tell she was hurting. My baby was hurting.  
  
I sat up slowly to turn my eye's to Mia.   
  
She was sitting in the chair near the window. Calm, still and emotionless. She'd been like that since I'd come for her.  
  
I'd forced her to leave Jesse on the sidewalk. Like an un-wanted piece of garbage. I could tell the ambulance had been just around the corner. Could hear their sirens blaring, so I'd picked her up and dumped her in the car, and we had passed the ambulance at the top of the street.  
  
She hadn't said a word to me since. Except to tell me the motel address.  
  
She hadn't even batted an eyelash, when she had coldly told Leon what had happened to Jesse. Her eye's had been cold and black, as she told him how many bulletholes she had managed to count on him. Five. Even I hadn't known that.  
  
"I'm going to have a shower." I told both girls, as a looked down on my blood stained shirt.  
  
"He didn't mean it Dom." I heard Letty call, but I pretened I couldn't hear. I half wished I couldn't hear or see anything. Hoped that the world would just stop, and give me a few minutes of peace. Time to think. That's what I needed now. 


	3. Pink

Pink  
  
"I'm looking for Jesse Higgins." I told the nurse at the front desk of the Emergency/Trauma ward. I waited impatiently as she scanned a list of names. This was the third hospital I'd been to. He had to be here... it wasn't close to the Toretto's but it was the best... best equipment, nurses... he had to be here.   
  
"I'm sorry there's no-one by that name here. Have you tried the county hospital?" she questioned politely.  
  
"Yes!" I said with frustration... "What... what about someone with no name? He was shot... at least 5 times? Check... check your John Doe list or something." I demanded in frustration. He had to be here... I just had a feeling... Jesse and I had always shared this... whatever the fuck you wanted to call it... but I knew he had to be here.... if he wasn't... I didn't have a fucking clue what I was gonna do next.  
  
I watched her eagle eye'd as she scoured the list with a frowning face, that otherwise... in another situation... might have been pretty... with the blonde hair escaping her severe bun whimsically... in another situation.  
  
"We have 3 men with gun shot wounds... 2 multiple ones... would you... like to try and make an identification?" The nurse asked as I watched her put a phone to her ear. I nodded numbly and kept my hands clenched at my side as my gut fell into the bottom of my feet painfully.  
  
I know I heard what she said into the phone but I couldn't remember it as she led me down the sterile, silent, hospital floors. we passed a room, and there was a kid about 13 lieing in bed... his face wrapped up on one side in bandages... he looked so frail... for a second I even thought it was Jesse... like somehow.. in the 2 days we'd been parted he'd shrunk, and he's hair had grown over black, and his had falling into a dull black pool of colour looking completely out of place on the boys face.  
  
I could only mutter a prayer to anyone listening when the nurse continued past that room, into a sterile, room, with metal instruments and metal tables... metal sinks, stark white walls... and curtains drawn around what I could just tell where bodies... I just didn't know if they were alive or dead....  
  
The nurse stopped, I knew what she was going to say when she turned those sympathetic... yet cool, eye's on me and told me to prepare myself. She pulled a curtain back, and my legs went weak and my stomach bounced... I was actually relieved... almost glad that the almost gutted man lieing on the table wasn't Jesse... I shook my head weakly... not letting any of my sign outside of a harshly let out sigh show my emotional state.  
  
She pulled the curtain back around the man, and I felt the nasty urge to push her out of the room... to demand she take me to the next... next... John Doe... I had to see... I had to know... if Jesse wasn't here I had to look... if Dom hadn't left him... I'd know... I'd be by his side!  
  
When I emerged from my vengeful, vindictive Dom direct thoughts... I was staring down at a blonde head... in an actual bed... he looked, peaceful, and at rest... "Is... he... dead?" I gulped down the bile swirling in my stomach, as I looked at Jesse, wanting to shake him... wake him... get him out of hospital's that he hated.  
  
The nurse was talking... I couldn't tear my eye's from Jesse... but somewhere... I realized that I was supposed to be repling to her questions. "Ah... uh... yes... I know him... Jesse... Jesse Higgin's... that's his name... 20... no... no living relatives... except... me... yes... his brother... yeah... thanks..." I replied, as I fell heavily in a near-by chair looking at Jesse... afraid to take my eye's away from him in case he disappear, as the nurse padded out in her quiet hospital shoes.  
  
I don't know how long I stared at him... I can't remember if I spoke to him... but the sun was rising when I finally felt a tugging in my gut. But it wasn't hunger... It was this painful need to tell Jesse how I felt in case... I couldn't think about in case... but I could tell him. I knew he could hear... he would hear... he was Jesse.  
  
"Jess... Jesse man... It's Leon..." I worked up... just in case he wasn't sure that I had been keeping constant vigil over him... "Jess... don't go do anything stupid man... we came here together bud... sunny California... we were gonna live the high life... listen man... we came here together and we'll leave together... you get well... and we'll head down to Mexico... and we'll scoop all the cute mexican senorita's together... listen man... don't leave without me... your my brother. The best friend I ever had... I love you man..." I choked... and the tears fell.  
  
Me. Leon, Mr-Cool-Slap-'Em-On-The-Ass-And-Smile, Reyne, crying. Crying like a baby. But shock was all that was registering... I didn't give a damn if it was shameless... or un-manly... Jesse... I never felt bad about anything I did for Jesse... like if I were to take a semi-automatic and blow out the Tran's... guilty, innocent... I couldn't care. They had put my family in ruins. My brother in a coma. I'd have done anything for Jesse right about then. 


	4. Red

Red  
  
'So what' I thought. 'Who gives a damn!' I thought. He was talking down to me... wearing a stern authorative frown... I rolled my eye's... mostly to antagonize him. I couldn't really believe that he would think I cared. That I was all broken up inside that I smacked some smart mouth hot-head Mexician...  
  
My eye's narrowed slightly with vindictive pleasure as I thought about it. I hadn't just smacked him... I'd almost beating him into un-conciousness. This was the third time we'd had almost exactly this same conversation, where he tried to convince me that it was wrong... that hitting people didn't solve any problems. That he understood because he'd been in the same place, but it only ended up in trouble for everyone if I didn't turn it around.  
  
"A month ago you were a high acheiving med student, set to take honours in medicine. Now you are nothing more then a little latina hood. A thug. The trade off isn't worth it in the end is it Mia? Think about it? What do you want to do with your life? Do you want to save life's or destroy your own?" he asked me and I could do nothing but laugh scornfully.  
  
"Are we done here? Or are you gonna punish me?" I asked holding my arms out as if I expected to be slapped across the wrist like the good, chastized little girl I was supposed to be.  
  
He looked over my shoulder, and nodded, "You can go, but remember what I said Mia I don't want to see you here again!" he called as I turned my back on him and walked over to Dom, as he rested against the wall of the police station. Letty wasn't there... I assumed she must have been at home.  
  
She'd been to see a doctor, and found out she had three broken ribs... a fractured wrist and a lot of scrapes and bruises. Not to mention a nice shiny black eye. She was probably at home resting. Which was fine by me. I didn't need her busting my ass as she had made a fond habit of hers.  
  
Dom stood, paying no heed to the police cheif which I'm sure made him all the more frustrated... he took my arm and led me from the police station. The minute we were outside he let go. Which was fine by me. At least he wasn't bagging me out.  
  
I looked towards the car, a mutinious scowl replacing the cool indifferent glare, as I saw Letty leaning on the hood of Brian's car. She stood as soon as she saw us and I could tell by the look on her face she was going to rev me for them being called to the police station for the third time in as many days really.  
  
"Listen Letty..." I started brashly... but she cut me off, by slapping me across the face... hard. Although, it wasn't the force that shocked me so much as that she had SLAPPED me... not punched me... SLAPPED me!  
  
I jumped at her... I know I shouldn't have... with all her broken bits but she had slapped me... and the anger that had been surging my body all fortnight broke lose and I jumped on her, I threw a punch at her... got her in her already black eye, but that wasn't enough... I thristed to make her cry out.  
  
My legs were kicking, but they weren't on the ground, Dom had me restrained against his chest, his arms biting bars against my waist and shoulders, rendering me almost motionless, and a whole lot madder. I swore a cursed streak as Dom refused to let me go, and Letty slowly made her way to her feet.  
  
She wiped some blood off her lip and glared. But it wasn't at me... it was at Dom... behind me. I didn't exactly know why... but I didn't care, there was a vindicative joy that they were made at each other... or at least she was mad at him... I wanted to see them fall apart... hate each other like I did... I hated everyone.  
  
I glared at Letty, at Dom, although I couldn't see his face, I could tell from Letty's face, he was shocked... unlike the rest of the fortnight... were he had gone out... looked for work, came home and stared blankly at the television before going to be and starting again, barely saying a word to anyway... brushing of all Letty's concerns... that thankfully included me... until now obviously. I could feel him breathing hard and I could tell from Letty's face he was shocked, surprised, or confused.  
  
"You see? You wanna ignore it now Dom? Huh? You still wanna ignore her? Ignore the glaring truth? She's turning into you Dom! She's exactly like you when you went postal on Linder? Do you remember that Dom? Because I do! I didn't like it with you, but I hate it with her! But she won't listen to me... and her brother is cut off from everyone that cares about him!" Letty snapped furiously, her eye's flashing with rage and pain.  
  
"You attacked her Letty..." I heard Dom point out softly. "You slapped her," Dom reminded her. "It's been a bad day. Just a bad day." Dom placated, dening my actions, just causing my rage to swell and increase un-bidden.  
  
There was part of me that leapt to the surface, with the fierce urge to protect Dom from his attacker... even if it was Letty. She had no right... none... "Shut up! Just shut the hell up!" I screamed at her... I would have thrown myself at her again but Dom's arms tightened even more in restraint.  
  
Her furious words stopped... that was just what I wanted... I wanted the silence... and the rage... I greedily, selfishly wanted them to all stand by silent as I raged through my pain... pain they, none of them, understood, no matter how much Letty claimed it was like Dom's.  
  
"Alright have it your way, Toretto!" Letty said firmly, shaking her head. "It's you against the world, isn't it? No-one understands why give them a chance, eh?" Letty asked darkly scowling. I got the feeling that she was talking to Dom even though she was looking at me.   
  
"I'll... have your stuff waiting outside the door whenever you wanna collect it... I... can't... handle this... and look after myself... and keep Leon sane, and check on Jesse..." Letty was muttered to herself as she walked to the car, her voice rife with resignation. I stopped struggling the moment I realized she wasn't going to fight back.  
  
"Your kicking us out?" I heard Dom's voice squeak in shock... and I could understand it. It would have been different if she'd left... we could complain... but we both knew... we just couldn't complain about this... being kicked out, by Letty... And it was as shatteringly simple as watching Letty get in the car, starting it and heading off, to reach deep inside me.  
  
We'd turned Letty on us. Letty, vicious, furious, cold, fiesty, loyal, invalid Letty had turned on us. We had driven her beyond the call of duty, and never even stopped to consider it. We had both been so caught up in our own pain, that her obvious physical pain had gone un-heeded... we Toretto's were a selfish pair.  
  
I slipped out of Dom's arms as he relaxed them... I turned to flick my brown eye's up to his shocked, empty eye's. I knew I'd found my moment of truth, but Dom hadn't... somehow he had managed to ignore the pain crackling from the woman he loved... he managed to ignore mine... and he managed to stay empty... shocked... but empty.  
  
We both stood there for the longest time watching her tail lights travel off and dim in the distance... even when they'd gone... we still watched... as if waiting for her to come back. It was the most pointless excersize of our lives, espically considering we both new she wasn't coming back for us.  
  
((What do you think? Reveiw it and I'll reveiw yours! There is more to come, I still have Vince, Brian, Letty, Jesse and the Epilouge to do yet. But I'm working on them! Don't worry I'm not leaving it like this! hehe.)) 


	5. Yellow

A/N: Thanks so much for all the great reveiws! I was in a bit of a blocked state of affairs as far as this ff went, even though I knew what I wanted to do. Thanks to everyone who helped to un-block me!!  
  
Lani: You are like my writing inspiration on tap whenever I need you! Love you girl!  
Jessica: Your writing prowess wow's and shames me. Your words of encouragment are just that... very incouraging!  
Linnie: Putting Anita in your ff was such a thrill... and made me want to write more because... I don't know... maybe it's pathological. Could be Fatso's fault to! You know how demanding he is!!  
Vin_Gurl: Your reveiw's and coaching on WB were helpful and gave that little kick needed to jump into more writing!  
Reveiwers: You have all been so nice and constructive about the ff. Thanks so much I will get around to reveiwing ff's if you gave me a signed reveiw. But from now on if you want me to reveiw a ff can you tell me the name of it to save time! I'm a lazy lazy beast I'll admit it. :-)  
  
  
  
  
Yellow  
  
"Damnit!" I swore as a woke up... my body aching, and I hadn't even moved yet. I tried to move my arm into my bleary eyed vision, only to find a drip stuck into it.  
  
"Where the hell...?" I didn't need to finish that question. I could tell from the disinfectant smell that I was in a hospital.  
  
It was the same offensive smell that had assualted my nose, although I hadn't really paid much attention to it at the time, when I was 12, and Dom had dragged me to the hospital, literally, after my father had beaten me into un-consciousness.  
  
My eye's watched, suspiciously, as the nurse as she bustled around me, checking all the medical do-hickey's... writing things down on the chart... barely even noticing I was alive... if I was alive. I felt alive... I hoped to god I was alive, because if heaven was a hospital... I wanted my money back. Maybe not even heaven... maybe this was hell.  
  
I shuddered, 'way to spook yourself out man.' I derided myself with a somewhat distorted chuckle as the nurse dragged my attention away from me and to her as she announced. "We've had a lot of concern from people on your behalf, Mr Lock. Two men have come by since your surgery, One woman, and there were a couple of phonecalls from... er... a Ms Williams I think. I'm sure a lot of people are going to be very happy your awake." The nurse said with an impersonal smile as she wandered out of the hospital room.  
  
Looking around... and moving with an un-heeded groan of pain I turned the radio on, fiddling around, ignoring the pain in my side, as I tried to find a radio station that DIDN'T play 'easy-listening'. I may have been sick but I wasn't dead.  
  
Finally I had to settle on a R&B station, it was the closest I could find to Hip Hop, because it seemed all the heavy metal stations had been blocked from the radio. Probably so people refused to come back, and take up precious bed room. I know as soon as I got out I wasn't coming back here, unless it was in a body bag. Not that I was ruling that possibility out.  
  
Picking up a woman's magizine from the cabinet beside me, the boredom drove me to flicking through it... looking at the pictures... I even went so far as to read some of the articles... ohh dear the royal family was in another mess... my my.  
  
There was the sound of sneakers on the immaculate floor, causing my head to dart up. Capturing the intruder in a long surprised stare, watching their movements across the floor to stand at the bottom of my bed.  
  
Tossing the magizine back on the cabinet, I folded my arms painfully across my chest and greeted them with a slow. "Whitebread.... didn't expect to see you here... thought I'd see Dom or Mia first..." I watched him stand his ground as I finally offered him a half smirk, "Sit down then... how is everyone?" I pointed to a seat beside my bed helpfully.  
  
He walked over and sat down on the chair silently looking at me before darting his gaze away skitterishly.  
  
I sighed... I'd almost forgotten that we technically still hated each other. "Listen White... Brian... can we just forget that shit in the past? I was wrong. Your a good guy... you saved my life... can we call it even?" I asked, strangely enough that was almost more painful then my wounds.  
  
Brian looked up and shook his head looking into my eye's before looking away again starting... sounding somewhat strangled, "Vince..."  
  
I cut him off with a shake of my head. "Look don't start crying whitebread. I know it's difficult coming from Arizona and all... just say we'll forget all the shit in the past. Act like a man, you tosser..." I said smiling to show it was a joke. Something like I would share with Leon or Jesse. Brian was good people... and although we would still have to handle the Mia situation... I didn't need to think about that when I was being noble, and forgiving.  
  
I watched a somewhat bitter smile creep onto his face and teased him, "Now where's that preppy, toothy smile my Mia fell for?" And yet I managed to continue to grin even though one of the hardest statements of my life.  
  
His smile faded and his eye's became haunted. As someone haunted by his own past, it wasn't hard to recognize it in Brian. "What's wrong?" I demanded suddenly... clenching my fists together tightly.  
  
"What the hell are you doing here? Get the hell out of here nark!" My eye'sdarted back to the door of the ward and they widened as I saw Leon. A smile started to tug at my mouth, but was stilled by the rage Leon was in... his eye's directed right at our little blonde... nark? 


	6. Authors Notes

Title: Faded Roses  
  
Author: Kelly (Kelmoyourinnerevil@yahoo.com.au)  
  
Summary: Life after the trucks. Told in first person from every person involved in the hi-jacking (Mia and Brian included)  
  
Rating: PG + 13, coarse language  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own 'The Fast and the Furious', not affilated with it, nor the actors, Don't own the characters, from the movie like Mia and Dom.  
  
Author Notes:   
  
1) Each new chapter/installment is titled in the colour of a rose, and is supposed to be symbolic of some over-all attitude of the first person invovled. Although the colours are taken on general meaning not the coloured rose defination. The Proulouge and Epilouge are in 3rd person and are to symbolize the nature of the chapter.  
  
Blue: Sadness, Meloncholy and Depression  
Pink: Love and Friendship  
Red: Anger and Passion  
Yellow: Forgiveness and honesty  
Black: Mourning, dishonour and shame  
White: Innocence, and purity  
Fading: The dieing rose  
  
Archived:   
  
'FATF'(Fast and the furious) FF Central  
Fanfiction.net 


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